Study Shows Air Quality In Lexington Bingo Halls Unsafe

A new study by the University of Kentucky says Lexington bingo halls are unsafe due to secondhand smoke.

Five bingo halls in Lexington were tested in the study. Researchers found that indoor air pollution in the halls was 6.8 times higher than the national air quality standard for outdoor air.

Pollution levels were also 13 times higher in the bingo halls than in venues in Lexington that are smoke-free. The study's author says this shows those who play bingo are exposing themselves to dangerous toxins.

Ellen Hahn, a Professor at U.K. College of Nursing says, "What people don't realize is when air pollution is 35 micrograms per cubic meter, the EPA would come to Lexington to shut down our manufacturing facilities. And on a typical day, we're about 16 or 17 outside so in our bingo halls, we're greatly higher than that, 7 times higher than that."

The results of this study will likely be used in the ongoing debate as to whether bingo halls and the high school booster clubs, that raise money at the halls, should be exempt from Lexington's non-smoking ordinances.

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